Introducing the Occult
A selection of Colin Wilson's occult introductions now available, for the first time, in a single volume.
A selection of Colin Wilson's occult introductions now available, for the first time, in a single volume.
A selection of Colin Wilson's occult introductions now available, for the first time, in a single volume.
Essays, Occultism
The late Colin Wilson wrote a staggering 180 introductions, forewords, prefaces and afterwords to other authors’ books. Soon after his now classic study The Occult appeared in 1971, he was constantly sought out by writers and publishers to endorse their work. He rarely refused. And, as this volume reveals, these were not hurriedly written paragraphs, relying largely on his name as an endorsement, but often significant and substantial essays.
Introducing the Occult brings together 17 of his best published introductions chosen by his bibliographer Colin Stanley. Within these covers you can read Colin Wilson on magic, witchcraft, exorcism, ghosts, poltergeists, the Loch Ness Monster, the afterlife, dowsing and much more.
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Colin Wilson was the most exciting and readable non-fiction author of the 20th century, whose mind was so wide-ranging that he was equally at home in philosophy, criminology and parapsychology. This is an essential collection of some of his lesser known writings, all of which display his remarkable gifts as a writer and thinker. ~ Steve Taylor PhD, author of 'The Leap' and 'Spiritual Science'.
Colin Wilson was one of the most generous of writers, and by this I don't mean his prolific output, but the amount of time and effort he devoted to promoting the work of others. That largesse is well in evidence in this collection of Wilson's introductions to some of the many works on the supernatural and esoteric that came in the wake of his classic on the subject, 'The Occult', brought together by his friend and bibliographer, Colin Stanley. Readers of 'Mysteries', 'Beyond the Occult', 'Poltergeist!', 'Afterlife' and Wilson's other works about the frontiers of consciousness, will be delighted to find a batch of significant essays on a number of subjects, that might otherwise be unavailable to them. And if they haven't already, they might also be led back to the books themselves. I know it was practically always the case that if Wilson gave a book his imprimatur, it was worth reading. It goes without saying that this collection is too. ~ Gary Lachman, author of 'Beyond the Robot: the life and work of Colin Wilson'
'Introducing the Occult' is a treasure trove for those interested in esoteric wisdom.. Colin Wilson helped introduce hundreds of authors’ books to the world, and in each essay or introduction, he honed his own philosophy and expanded on his extraordinary insights into human consciousness. This book, like the celebrated 'The Occult', offers an accessible and highly readable guide to the sometimes shadowy and obscure world of occultism. Colin Stanley, Wilson’s indefatigable bibliographer, has done us all a favour by gathering these wide-ranging and life-changing insights together all in one volume. ~ David Moore, author of 'Evolutionary Metaphors: UFOs, New Existentialism and the Future Paradigm'